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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2018)
OFF PAGE ONE Thursday, October 11, 2018 East Oregonian Page 9A Senate Dems lose health care vote, hope it’s fodder By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON — Days after ending a turbulent Supreme Court confirma- tion fight, the Senate turned back to health care — with a battle squarely aimed at coloring next month’s cru- cial elections for control of Congress. In a return to its char- acteristically more unruf- fled mode of work, the Sen- ate on Wednesday rejected a Democratic attempt to stop President Donald Trump from expanding access to short-term health care plans, which offer lower costs but skimpier coverage. It was clear Democrats would lose, and a real victory was never feasible since the measure would have died anyway in the Republican-run House. But by pushing ahead, Democrats made Republi- cans cast a health care vote that Democrats could wield in campaign ads for next month’s midterm elections, in which they hope to top- ple the GOP’s 51-49 Senate majority. The vote was also aimed at refocusing people away from the Senate’s nasty battle over confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which both sides say has transformed indiffer- ent conservative voters into motivated ones — for now. Wednesday’s vote was about showing whether Congress will “allow insur- ance companies to scam Americans with cut-rate health insurance,” said Sen- ate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of that vote.” Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado insisted it was actually the Democrats who had done themselves no favors with the vote. “Look, if they want to take away people’s health insurance and that’s what AP Photo/Alex Brandon Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks after the Demo- cratic policy luncheon Wednesday on Capitol Hill. they’re campaigning on for the next several weeks, I think it’s a losing strategy,” said Gardner, who heads the Senate GOP’s campaign organization. Using regulations, Trump has moved to let people buy short-term insurance that could last one year — and up to three years if renewed. President Barack Obama’s health care law, which Trump and Republicans have weak- ened but failed to repeal, cre- ated more limited versions of those plans, lasting up to just three months. The poli- cies are for people who don’t get coverage at work. The administration says premiums for the new short- term plans will be around one-third the cost of com- prehensive coverage that Obama’s law requires. Republicans have promoted them as a low-cost option for strapped consumers after years of steadily rising pre- miums, which they blame on Obama’s law, and GOP can- didates will be happy to use Wednesday’s vote to make that point. “It’s not surprising that Senate Democrats are fight- ing to take away people’s choices on health care to drive up premiums,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who’s facing a surprisingly robust re-election challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Unlike Obama’s stat- ute, the new policies don’t require coverage for peo- ple with pre-existing con- ditions. The government has estimated those people number from 50 million to 130 million, making them a potent political talking point for Democrats. The short- term insurance also doesn’t have to cover a menu of ser- vices like prescription drugs and could cap beneficia- ries’ benefits. Democrats call the plans “junk insurance” because, they say, the poli- cies will leave unwary con- sumers purchasing danger- ously meager packages. “Anyone who sup- ports coverage for peo- ple with pre-existing condi- tions should oppose Trump’s expansion of these junk insurance plans,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who is running for re-elec- tion and introduced the Democratic measure. On its face, Wednesday’s fight was over repealing Trump’s new rules. But prac- tically speaking, it served to renew attention on the overall issue of health care, which polling shows ranks at the top of the public’s pri- orities and has been a major concern for voters for over a decade. TRANSIT: Only 37 percent of Morrow County’s workforce lives in the county Continued from 1A Grant County and Pendle- ton, using the existing tran- sit service, Grant County People Mover. Principal planner Matt Hughart noted that state- wide, 8 percent of house- holds have zero cars. The same is true for Umatilla County, and in Morrow County, only 3 percent of households have no access to a vehicle. Hughart also broke down the numbers of people that travel between counties to get to work. Only 37 percent of Mor- row County’s workforce lives there, with about 28 percent commuting from Umatilla County. Sixty-six percent of Umatilla County’s work- force lives in the county but, as Hughart noted, peo- ple frequently travel across the county to get to work. Hughart said the strategies address all targeted areas where there is a signifi- cant need, and that would serve the largest number of households and workforce. According to the study, all of the strategies could be implemented by exist- ing transit companies, such as The Loop in Morrow County or Kayak in Uma- tilla County. Although the report laid out several specific tran- sit strategies that the two counties could implement, Hughart said none of the details are set in stone. He added that while plans could be implemented separately, they would be most beneficial to the region if they function as pieces of one larger system. “They really should be considered as layers — all implemented one on top of the other,” he said. The report included cost estimates to implement all the strategies. Hughart noted that the cost to imple- ment the Boardman-Herm- iston shuttle was on the higher side — $250,000 to $300,000 — but would likely be the most utilized. The funds would come from some statewide pay- roll taxes: the Statewide Transportation Improve- ment Fund (STIF), and the Special Transportation Fund. Morrow County Plan- ning Director Carla McLane said though both commis- sions may approve the plan this month, it may take some time to start imple- menting the strategies. “I think the real ques- tion is, how much money is actually being collected through the tax program, and how much is going back to the local communi- ties?” She said. “And which projects will we prioritize?” McLane said there are STIF Advisory Commit- tees in both Umatilla and Morrow counties that will make recommendations to the boards of commission- ers about which projects are most relevant to the area. Though the strategies have been formulated for both counties, each county will approve the plan separately, and can make changes to it individually. The report also sug- gested setting up park-and- ride areas, which would allow people in rural areas to commute to a more cen- tral location in their own vehicles, and then take pub- lic transit to work. Though it identified park-and-ride areas as lower priority proj- ects, Umatilla County Com- missioner George Murdock said such areas could be beneficial to the region. “It’’s about education and habit,” he said. “We don’t live in an area that embraces anything other than driving your own vehi- cle — I don’t think peo- ple think about that. So I appreciate the inclusion of park-and-ride.” To collect commut- ing data, the firm surveyed businesses in Umatilla and Morrow counties, asking employers about the num- ber of full-time employees at the company, the hours of operation, whether the company offers any type of ride-sharing program and if they think employees would utilize such a service. Twen- ty-seven businesses and groups from both counties participated in the survey, including many of the larg- est employers: Hermiston and Pendleton school dis- tricts, Good Shepherd Med- ical Center, St. Anthony Hospital, Blue Mountain Community College, Wild- horse Resort and Casino, and Port of Morrow Ware- housing. Employers were surveyed, but individual employees did not provide information. Umatilla County Com- missioner Bill Elfering said while he thinks the plan is a good start, the second component is growing the workforce. “I think this may help, but will it create a new worker? I don’t know,” he said. Commissioners from both boards said they were happy with the increased inter-county collaboration. “I think it’s our third joint meeting, and I look forward to more,” said Mor- row County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay. Our Quality Is Timeless. This Price Isn’t! Miracle-Ear Quality For $895. Why Wait? Hearing is believing! 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